|Numéro de publication||US7124382 B1|
|Type de publication||Octroi|
|Numéro de demande||US 10/090,256|
|Date de publication||17 oct. 2006|
|Date de dépôt||1 mars 2002|
|Date de priorité||1 mars 2002|
|État de paiement des frais||Payé|
|Numéro de publication||090256, 10090256, US 7124382 B1, US 7124382B1, US-B1-7124382, US7124382 B1, US7124382B1|
|Inventeurs||Robert E. Eccles, Mark Brian Roberts|
|Cessionnaire d'origine||Xilinx, Inc.|
|Exporter la citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citations de brevets (18), Citations hors brevets (1), Référencé par (9), Classifications (4), Événements juridiques (3)|
|Liens externes: USPTO, Cession USPTO, Espacenet|
The present invention relates generally to rule file generation, and more particularly to use of a parameterized rule file.
The process for producing an integrated circuit comprises many steps. Conventionally, a logic design is followed by a circuit design, which is followed by a layout design. With respect to the circuit design and layout portion, once circuits for an integrated circuit have been designed, such designs are converted to a physical representation known as a “circuit layout” or “layout.” Conventionally, a layout may be viewed as an elevational view representing semiconductor process layers forming physical devices, such as transistors, contacts, and buses, among other well-known circuit elements. Layout is exceptionally important to developing a working design as it affects many aspects, including, but not limited to, signal noise, signal time delay, resistance, cell area, and parasitic effect.
Once an initial layout is done, it must be checked to ensure spacing between circuit elements conforms to a set of rules known as Design Rules. Design Rules conventionally set minimum spacings, sizes and the like for circuit elements. Though a layout is developed with such Design Rules in mind, there may be violations of such Design Rules owing to complexity or magnitude of the circuitry to be laid out or of the Design Rules themselves.
Accordingly, a next step in the design process is to perform a Design Rule Check, more commonly known as a DRC, on a layout. This step is important because violation of one or more Design Rules may result in a higher probability, and in some cases an absolute certainty, that a fabricated chip would not work as desired.
Conventionally, a circuit designer designs a circuit on a computer using a computer-aided design (CAD) tool. Data from such a CAD designed circuit is provided to a computer-aided engineering (CAE) tool. This CAE tool is used to produce a layout. However, a layout so produced may still have one or more Design Rule violations. Accordingly, what is known as “Physical Verification and Analysis” is done. Components of this include a DRC and a Layout Versus Schematic (LVS) check. DRC and LVS are conventionally done with a Design Rule Checker and an LVS Verifier, both of which are CAE tools.
A Design Rule Checker may access specified Rules File and Rules Library for purposes of checking a proposed layout. Unfortunately, Rules Files, or DRC files, conventionally are written with numbers associated with logical operators embedded in such files. Moreover, it is not uncommon for a same number to be used multiple times throughout a file. However, though a number may appear in multiple places does not necessarily mean it refers to the same rule. This makes update DRC file numbers time consuming and prone to error.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide DRC file updating solution that is less time intensive and error prone.
Furthermore, there are additional EDA tools which use “technology files” that contain design rule information. These technology files are used to control and configure EDA tools. Some examples of EDA tools which require technology files containing design rule data are extraction, compaction, and parameterized cells layout.
An aspect of the present invention is replacement of a number value with a reference to a parameter name. A numeric value of each parameter may then be specified in a single location. A rule file may then be generated by combining a parameter value file with a parameterized rule file. A method in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention may be used to create a rule file with updated numbers or to generate several numerical variations of the same rule file.
An aspect of the present invention is a method for generating a rule file. More particularly, a rule document is obtained. A table file is generated from the rule document. A parameterized rule file is obtained. Values associated with rules in the table file are mapped to matching rules in the parameterized rule file. Another aspect of the present invention is a program product for generating one or more rule files.
Another aspect of the present invention is a data structure. More particularly, the data structure comprises a plurality of logical operations associated with respective rules names. Each of the rule names comprises a rule indicator.
So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the present invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
At step 205, a Text Table process is run. Text Table process 205, described in more detail below, is used to provide a Table file at step 202. Table file 202 defines parameter names derived from design rule names and parameter values derived from design rule values.
At step 203, a Parameterized DRC (PDRC) file is obtained. Notably, PDRC file 203 and Design Rule document 201 are obtained, as they are not automatically generated by process 200.
PDRC file 203 comprises logical operations used to check design rules defined in Design Rule document 201. PDRC file 203 is created such that each logical operation is associated with a parameter name. Each parameter name is unique. Notably, there can be more than one logical operation associated with a single layout design rule. There can be more than one parameter assigned to each design rule. Parameter names may be associated with a particular design rule, but not all logical operations are necessarily associated with a parameter and not all design rules necessarily need a parameter. For example, there may be a design rule A that states layer 1 cannot cover layer 2. Because there are no numbers associated with design rule A, there are no parameters either. In creation of a table file A, design rule A would be extracted to form part of such a table file A and have a null value as a parameter. However, because this parameter is not referenced in a PDRC file A, existence of design rule A in table file A does not affect creation of a DRC file A.
At step 206, a Map File process is run. Map file process 206, with access to PDRC file 203 and Table file 202, is used to replace parameter names in PDRC file 203 with parameter values in Table file 202 using parameter names for this association. Map File process 206 produces a DRC file at step 204. DRC file 204 comprises design rule parameter values and associated design rule logical operations.
Design Rule spreadsheet document 400 comprises a file heading 401 and file subheadings 402 and 412. Under file subheadings 402 and 412 is table header 403 and respective groups of tabulated information for design rule names 404, 414, design rule descriptions 405, 415, and design rule values 406, 416. For example, each design rule name begins with “GR.” Notably, not all design rule values need to be numerical. For example, under parameters, design rule GRfilename is a name of a DRC file called “drc_patent.rules.”
Referring again to
Referring again to
If no design rule name indicator is found for a line at step 303, then a check for another line to check in Rules Text file is made at step 307. If a design rule name indicator is found for a line at step 303, then such a design rule name indicator is replaced with another design rule name indicator at step 304. For example, a replacement design rule indicator may be “rule_”. Notably, step 304 may be omitted if a design rule indicator used in design rule document 201 is the same as a design rule indicator used in PDRC file 203.
At step 305, a user selects a column for a design rule associated with such a line having a substituted design rule name indicator. By selecting a column, a design rule value or a DRC file is selected. In the example of
A check for another line to check in Rules Text file is made at step 307. If there is another line to check in Rules Text file 302, then at step 308 a next line is obtained for checking at step 303. If at step 307 there are no more lines to check in Rules Text file 302, Table file 202 is produced.
Referring again to
For purposes of clarity, an exemplary embodiment of a PDRC file 800 is shown in
Referring again to
For purposes of clarity, an exemplary embodiment of a DRC file 900 that may be created from Table file 600 of
As mentioned above with respect to
Some embodiments of the invention are program products containing machine-readable programs. The program(s) of the program product defines functions of the embodiments and can be contained on a variety of signal/bearing media, which include, but are not limited to: (i) information permanently stored on non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive); (ii) alterable information stored on writable storage media (e.g., floppy disks within a diskette drive or hard-disk drive); or (iii) information conveyed to a computer by a communications medium, such as through a computer or telephone network, including wireless communications. The latter embodiment specifically includes information downloaded from the Internet and other networks. Such signal-bearing media, when carrying computer-readable instructions that direct the functions of the present invention, represent embodiments of the present invention.
Some embodiments of the present invention are program products that may reside in whole or in part in memory 1102. By way of example and not limitation, memory 1102 may comprise DRAM sufficient to hold at least a program representative of process 200 or 1000, including, but not limited to, data structures in accordance with one or more design rule documents 201, PDRC files 203, and derivatives thereof as set forth herein.
Accordingly, it should be appreciated that because design rule number in a table file are separated from logic operations in a PDRC file, generation of several DRC files is facilitated by having only to effectively specify different table files. This not only facilitates maintenance of multiple DRC files for a project integrated circuit, but also facilitates migration to other projects, namely, because a new set of values in a design rule document may be used with an existing PDRC file to provide a DRC file for a new process.
Moreover, it should be appreciated that PDRC file maintenance is facilitated, as design rule values may be used in multiple locations in a PDRC file. In other words, this may be used to avoid manual hard coding mistakes made when typing numbers into multiple locations in a PDRC file. Moreover, with a PDRC file, when design rule numbers change, instead of documenting such a change only in a design rule document, such updating follows into a DRC file.
Advantageously, searching for a document is enhanced, as a design rule name may be uniquely searched in a PDRC file to indicate how many times that particular rule is used. This is not necessarily the case for a design rule value, which may not be unique to a particular design rule.
Furthermore, procedurally, maintenance is enhanced. Maintenance of design rule values by a technology development group, such as research and development, and fabrication engineering, is separated from design rules that are maintained in a PDRC file, such as by a integrated circuit computer aided design group. Moreover, design rule values are declared but once in a design rule document used by layout designers as the reference for constructing a layout.
Note that the uses of DRC, LVS, or extraction technology document file are merely examples of a file containing design rule information. The present invention can be used with any file containing design rule information for use with an electronic design automation (EDA) tool, including a variety of technology files, such as LPE (Layout Parameter Extraction) rule files, parameterized layout files and simulation model files.
While foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow. For example, though embodiments of the present invention were described in terms of a design rule document and DRC and PDRC files, other document and file types may be used in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention, such other types include, but are not limited to, LVS and extraction technology, among other known types of rules-based technologies.
All trademarks are the respective property of their owners.
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|Classification aux États-Unis||716/112|
|15 avr. 2002||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: XILINX, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ECCLES, ROBERT E.;ROBERTS, MARK BRIAN;REEL/FRAME:012807/0613;SIGNING DATES FROM 20020301 TO 20020312
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